Bound
by Ambivalentanarchist
Summary: Milo and Bobby aren't really bonded together, but there's something there. They love each other, and Milo feels an attraction towards him that he can't put into words. What if that something had less to do with Bobby, and more to do with his twin sister? Peter/OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

After pacing in the hall for a good ten minutes, to calm myself, I finally pushed into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Bobby murmured, groggily, as he tried—and failed—to sit up. I narrowed my eyes at him as I approached, trying to ignore the stranger seated at his bedside.

"I'm still your emergency contact, remember?" I said, sighing a little. "And I'm your sister. I'd say if anyone has the right to visit you when you land yourself in the hospital of all places, it's me."

The man who occupied the seat beside him sat up a little straighter in his seat. "Bobby, you have a sister?"

Bobby turned away, looking caught off guard.

"Yes." I answered for him. "I'm Clara. And you're Bobby's...?"

I let the question linger, although I could tell what he was the minute I'd walked into the room. He was too handsome, too perfect. A vampire. Bobby continued to avert his gaze guiltily, and I knew he wasn't about to answer for him.

"I'm his boyfriend." The vampire answered. "Milo."

"Right." I tried to put on a smile, but it didn't really reach my eyes. "Nice to meet you." I said, although I couldn't make myself mean it.

The tension in the room was broken a woman walked in. I knew she must have been a doctor from the white coat he wore and the metal clipboard she held.

"Roberto Russo?" The doctor asked, as she flipped through Bobby's chart.

Bobby nodded weakly. "Yeah, that's me. What's the damage?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Milo frown. 'Roberto?' he mouthed. Bobby just shrugged, like his full name was some unimportant detail. I wasn't surprised he hadn't mentioned it. Bobby had never been fond of it.

"Well, I'm afraid you have a mild concussion, Mr. Russo."

I let out the breath I'd been holding. At least he wasn't in for blood loss—again.

I listened quietly as the doctor continued to explain that Bobby would need to be kept overnight for observation. She assured us that he would be fine to go home in the morning, as long as he got plenty of rest.

"Why don't you stay with me?" I offered, when I returned in the morning.

Milo hadn't returned yet, but I didn't notice until Bobby's eyes flitted around me, searching for him. He sighed a little, in resignation when his gaze finally returned to me.

"Okay, I guess." He said.

It stung a little that I was his second choice, but at the same time, it didn't really surprise me.

The drive home started out quiet and uncomfortable. We hadn't talked in so long, and I didn't think either of us really knew what to say.

"I love Milo." Bobby said, suddenly, shocking me.

"Bobby." I whispered, sadly.

I shook my head as I thought about the last vampire my brother had been enamored with. Daniel was handsome enough, but he'd treated Bobby like a piece of meat.

"No, don't do that. I'm serious." He insisted. "It's not like it was with Daniel. He loves me too."

I let out a heavy breath. We'd barely even spoken and I already felt exhausted by the conversation. "Whatever." I relented. "It's your life."

"Yeah. It is." He sounded equally defeated.

I knew he wanted my approval, but I just couldn't give it. Neither of us wanted to argue over it anymore, so we spent the rest of the ride in silence.

Bobby was the first to say something when we walked through the front door of the townhouse I'd been renting.

"So this is your place, huh?" He looked around, appraising it.

"Yep. This is the new place." I nodded up the stairs, not wasting any time. "Come on. I have a guest room you can crash in."

His brow furrowed as he followed me. "Why do you have a guest room?"

"I'm between roommates at the moment." I explained.

I helped him settle in to _National Geographic_, a station he had loved since before I could remember. I brought him up lunch around noon, but mostly I left him to his own devices. He was an adult and I trusted that he would take the doctor's advice seriously and rest up over the weekend. When I checked up on him again around dinnertime, I caught him talking on his cell with someone.

"It's okay, really. I knew you'd be asleep. Clara was there to pick me..."

Not wanting to look like I was eavesdropping, I knocked on the edge of the doorframe to announce my presence. Bobby was quick to react, murmuring for the person on the other line to hold on a sec before he covered the receiver.

"Hey. I just wanted to ask what you felt like for dinner. I don't really feel like cooking... Would you be okay with take-out? There's a great pad thai place down the street."

He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, and I knew he was tempted by my offer. Bobby had always had a weakness for asian food, especially pad thai. I nodded to the phone in his hand as he mulled it over.

"Who are you talking to?" I asked.

"Milo."

I had suspected as much, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Why don't you invite him to dinner?" I suggested suddenly, surprising even myself.

Bobby's brows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah." I repeated. "Invite him."

Maybe I was being prejudicial. The only way to know for sure was to see for myself.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I was setting up dinner when the doorbell rang for the second time. Bobby had rushed to answer it the first time, only to be disappointed to find that it was our pad thai. I made sense, seeing as the restaurant was only a five minute walk down the street. This time, it had to be Milo, and it only made Bobby move more quickly.

"I've got it!" He called, predictably, as I watched him flash toward the foyer.

A few minutes later, Milo entered the dining room with Milo. They were holding hands, but I tried not to let that bother me.

"There are only two place settings..." Milo said slowly, sounding confused as he took in the table.

"It's okay." I assured him. "I know you don't eat. I won't make you keep up the ruse."

I frowned a little after a moment, looking to my brother. "Why didn't you tell him?"

Milo shot him a look that asked the same question, and Bobby ducked his head a little guiltily, mumbling something about his concussion as an excuse.

"Right." I said, sitting down in front of my plate and silently inviting them both to do the same. Although, in Milo's case it was sitting in front of nothing, they both took the cue.

Milo was quiet at first, and I could tell he didn't like that there was so much about Bobby that he hadn't known. But, in a way, unease was comforting. After all, he wouldn't have been upset if he didn't care at least a little, would he?

After a while, he spoke up. "How long have you known about vampires?"

I blanched a little at the unfortunate memory. "I was sixteen when I figured it out. So it been about five years now."

"What happened?"

"I... I was hanging around the wrong people." I said simply, unwilling to reveal more.

Most of the his other questions didn't have to do with me, but with Bobby. He asked about his childhood more than anything else. He also asked about our family. Bobby seemed pretty content to just let Milo and I get to know each other a little better. He only spoke up once or twice, and then it was only to keep me telling some especially embarrassing stories about his adolescent years.

In turn, I asked him about himself. He wasn't very old. In fact, Bobby and I were years ahead of him. He liked video games and dancing. Like Bobby, he had a sister, Alice. There was something about him that I liked, that I trusted. The more we talked, the more at ease I felt with the idea that he and my brother were together.

I also noticed that Milo was markedly more polite than I'd expected him to be. When Bobby and I were finished eating, he even offered to do the dishes.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." I said, as I stacked Bobby's dishes on top of mine. "You didn't even eat."

"I know." He shrugged. "I'd just... I'd like to, if that's okay."

I set the dishes down by the sink and stepped away so he could take care of them. "Be my guest."

He turned on the sink and began working on them while I ushered Bobby back upstairs. He wasn't happy about it, but the doctor had ordered rest, and I figured my meeting his vampire boyfriend was enough excitement for one night.

I'm not sure if it was because there were so few to do, or because Milo was so fast, but he was finished with the dishes by the time I made it back to the kitchen.

"Thanks." I said, as I approached.

He smiled a little crookedly at me. "No problem."

He glanced up the stairs in Bobby's direction for a long moment before he met my eyes again. His gaze had an unusual curiosity about it, like he was trying to figure me out. It was almost funny, because I'd been trying to do the same thing to him all night. I only hoped I was being less obvious about it.

"So, why haven't I heard about you before?" He asked, bringing up the elephant in the room.

I was inclined to tell him to ask Bobby, but I knew that would have been a bit of a cop-out.

"We had a falling out a few years ago, when he left for college." I began, hesitantly.

"Over what?" Milo pressed, gently.

"I..." I frowned as I thought of a way to put it. "I didn't approve of his lifestyle choices."

There was a long silence at that. "...Oh."

I blinked as I realized another way my words might have been taken as Milo shifted uncomfortably in front of me. Not wanting to be misunderstood, I quickly corrected myself.

"The vampire thing, not the gay thing. I could care less about his sexuality." I said, frankly. "But, I do care about his life. And I hate to say it, but the people who hang around vampires tend not to have long ones."

His expression fell instantly. "I would never—"

I held up my hand to stop him before he could finish. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Milo." I said, not unkindly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Milo cleared out quickly after that and I locked the door behind him before I headed up to bed myself. I could hear the TV on in the guest room as I settled in, and I knew Bobby probably wouldn't be asleep for a while. He'd always had trouble sleeping. But, he was resting, and that was what was important.

"Clara?" Bobby's voice rang out among the knocks against my bedroom door, and I was horrified to turn over and see that I had been woken before my alarm.

"What?" I groaned, unhappily.

"Where do you keep the coffee?" He called, through the door.

"It's five-thirty in the morning!" I whined, as if that was a proper answer.

I heard the door creak open, and I turned to glare at my brother as he hovered in the doorway.

"I know, but I have class at eight." He said, apologetically.

I sighed resignedly as I pulled the covers back.

"I hate you."

I didn't have a coffee maker in the house, let alone coffee to use in it. So, instead, I picked Bobby up a latte from Starbucks on our way to his school. It was an art school, with beautiful new fixtures and an abstract sculpture out front. When he hopped out of the car, he said he would 'see me later', and I couldn't help but wonder if he really meant it.

Thankfully, I had the day off of work, so I was able to go home and catch up on the sleep I had lost thanks to Bobby's early wake-up call.

After I dragged myself out of bed around eleven, I went the the grocery store. I wasn't sure if Bobby would be staying with me, or coming back to the house, but I bought extra, just in case he did. I even got a few of his favorite snack foods to put in the pantry. I liked Bugles and Funyuns too, so it wasn't as if they would go to waste without him.

I was a little disappointed that Bobby didn't call or come back to the townhouse at the end of the day. I had given him both my cell phone number and the key code for the garage, and I had hoped he would use at least one of them. But, I took it in stride, freezing the extra meat I'd bought, and promising myself to eat the extra produce before it spoiled. After catching up on my laundry, I went to bed early so I'd be rested and ready for work the next day.

When my lunch break rolled around, I got a call from a number I didn't recognize.

"Hello?" I said, as I pressed the phone against my ear.

"Hey." I smiled diminutively at the sound of my brother's voice on the other line.

"What's up, Bobby?"

"So..." He sighed, softly. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over to Milo's place tonight. You could meet his family and... Stuff. They're nice people."

I paused for a long moment. Honestly, I hadn't been expecting that.

"Well... Do you really want me to?" I asked, tentatively.

"Yeah, I do. This is important to me, Clara."

He only wanted to convince me that Milo was a good guy. I had misgivings, but I knew his intentions were good, so I caved far too easily.

"Okay." I conceded. "If it's really that important to you."

I scrawled down the directions he gave me on a napkin with a promise that I would be there this evening.

I expected to be greeted by Bobby or Milo when I pulled my aged Corolla into the driveway. Instead, a beautiful blonde woman rushed out to meet me. She seemed so warm and maternal as she beamed at me. It that it took me a moment for it to register that her unnatural beauty and grace meant she was a vampire. She was the antithesis of everything I'd always associated them with.

"Oh, hello, love!" She cooed. "You must be Clara. Oh, you're even lovelier than I expected!"

I smiled unsurely, deciding to take her words as a compliment. They seemed genuine enough, after all.

"Yeah, that's me. You aren't Milo's sister, Alice, are you?"

I frowned a little as I said the words. Bobby hadn't told me much of anything about Milo's family. At dinner, Milo had mentioned something about his sister, but this woman looked nothing like him. Was she his sire, maybe?

"Oh no!" She laughed, looking bashful. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mae. Alice is inside with the others. Come, why don't we meet them?"

I nodded, allowing her to lead me inside the lavish, monster of a house.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Everyone! Clara's here!" Mae called out as we walked in the front door, announcing my arrival.

I knew she didn't really have to. I was a human, after all, with a human heartbeat, and any vampire would have heard me when I walked in. But, there was a normalcy to the action that I appreciated. Besides, I was sure she was letting Bobby know as well. A sole human in a house full a vampires. I shook the disconcerting thought off quickly as I was led from the foyer to the living room.

"Hello, darling." Mae lit up like a christmas tree as she greeted a handsome, blonde man seated on the couch.

He rose gracefully as we approached, his mahogany eyes warm and sparkling with some untold emotion—surprise, maybe?

"This is Clara." Mae continued. "Clara, this is my husband, Ezra."

"Hello, Clara." He smiled charmingly as he shook my hand. "It's such a pleasure." His grip lingered, and for a moment, I didn't think he was going to let my hand go. I wasn't unnerved by it, strangely enough. I had expected to be intimidated, and maybe even a little afraid, here. It was odd. I felt safe, and welcome here. These vampires, these people, were so different from Daniel.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Ezra." He released my hand, after another moment.

Ezra. What an odd name. Old, probably. Or foreign. There was an accent to his voice, but it was so faded that I couldn't quite place it. Maybe he was British, like Mae.

I heard steps bounding down the steps and I looked left to see a couple bounding down them together.

"Jack! Alice!" May cried, ecstatic as they reached the bottom step. "Come, meet Clara." She invited, prompting them both to move into the living room.

Jack was slimmer and shorter than Ezra, with distinctly blue eyes. Alice hid behind him a little bit, their fingers entwined as they stood in the space between the coffee table and the entertainment center.

"Oh. Huh." Alice mumbled softly, her forehead knitting together in a way that made me frown. Jack looked back at her, and I shifted uncomfortably as they shared a look.

"Manners, you two!" Mae chided, snapping them out of whatever exchange had been happening between them.

"Sorry." Jack said, smiling sheepishly at me. "We don't mean to be rude. We're glad you came."

"Yeah." Alice added, after a moment, looking contrite. "Sorry."

"It's okay." I said, despite myself.

Bobby and Milo were next down the stairs. They both looked nervous as they make their way hand in hand to the rest of the group.

"A little late to the party, aren't we?" I teased, hoping to diffuse some of their tension.

Bobby cracked a smile at that. "You call this a party?" He retorted.

I rolled my eyes, playfully. "Not every party has to include alcohol, dubstep, and grinding, you know."

Milo busted out laughing, and I could hear Alice chuckling a little too, although she has the decency to muffle the noise with her hand.

"I'm not that predictable." Bobby pouted, silencing Milo's laughter.

"Oh, you know that was funny. Don't be mad." He said, charmingly, slinging an arm around Bobby's shoulder. I could tell from the change in my brother's expression that Milo has already been forgiven.

"Peter isn't coming down?" Mae asked after another moment, sounding disappointed.

"He said he would earlier." Jack said, shrugging his shoulders.

Mae got a determined glint in her eyes, and I could tell she was up to something.

"That's alright. We'll just go knock on his door. And I still have to show Clara around. Two birds, one stone."

"We'll be waiting here." Ezra said, moving to sit back down.

Mae put a hand on my back, gently guiding me to the right of the room. She paused as we passed a pair of glass french doors.

"Those doors lead to back yard." She explained. "The pool is going to make this time of year just lovely, I think."

The wooden deck was covered in tasteful patio furniture, with a figure eight pool just beyond. Although Seattle summers weren't unbearably hot, it probably would be nice when the temperatures climbed into the seventies and eighties.

Mae continued, leading me through a large archway. "This is the kitchen."

"Do you really use this room?" I asked curiously, as I eyed the quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances. There was a fruit bowl off to one side and I wondered if it was just for decoration.

"We don't, but Bobby does."

"So, he stays here most of the time?" I pressed, feeling nosy. "Not in the dorms?"

"He doesn't really have a dorm room anymore." She explained, shortly.

"Oh." I nodded to myself.

So, he lived here full-time then. I really was out of touch with my brother's life.

"Would you like something to eat? Something to drink?" She offered, politely, as we passed the fridge. "We have plenty."

"I had dinner before I came. Some water would be nice, though."

"Coming right up!" She chirped, reaching in and pulling out a bottle of water.

It was smartwater, Bobby's favorite. Of course, what else would I expect when he was the only one they were purchased for?

"Thank you." I murmured, taking a sip before we began to move on, moving through another archway.

"This is the den. Then there's Ezra's office and our bedroom down that hall on the right. The laundry room and garage access are on the left."

It really was a magnificent house. And now I understood why they needed all this room. I mean, with seven people in the same house, I almost wouldn't be surprised if it was bigger. Maybe it was. I hadn't seen the second floor yet.

"All the other rooms are up on the next level." Mae said, as if reading my thoughts.

She swept me up the stairs, and I followed her finger as she pointed to one door on the left. "That's the bathroom there." Then, she worked from left to right. "We have the guest bedroom, Bobby and Milo's room, Jack and Alice's room, and this is Peter's room."

The door was closed, so she poised her hand to knock.

"Really, you don't have to bother him." I found myself saying.

"He said he would come down." She assured me. "I'm sure he's just forgotten. Gotten himself caught up in some book. Classic Peter."

She smiled as she rapped on the door.

"Peter, darling, Clara is here." She said, louder than she had to.

When we were met with silence, she pushed the door open.

"Peter. Don't be rude." Mae chastised, as she stepped inside. I would have waited in the hall, but she silently guided me in beside her.

Peter was sitting in a chair in the corner, and at the sight of him, my heart rate skyrocketed and my breathing hitched. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice reprimanded me for being so affected by him, but I couldn't control it, and in that moment, I didn't really care.

His head was turned away from the door, and a deeply tanned hand shielded most of his face from me. But, I could still see his chestnut hair, and a glimpse of emerald green eyes.

"Mae, leave me be. Please." His deep voice rumbled through me, but it sounded almost tortured, and, involuntarily, my heart twisted.

"Just say hello?" She implored, sweetly.

He sighed, and finally turned to face us. His jaw dropped slightly as his eyes settled on me, although I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I would have any kind of affect on him.

"Hello." He finally managed, his voice clipped as his entire body tensed.

"Hi." I whispered, feeling breathless.

Suddenly, his face set in some unreadable expression. Before I could even try to decipher it, Mae was ushering me out of the room.

"Come on, Clara. Let's get back to the others." She coaxed.

I stumbled out of the room in a daze. What the hell was that?

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'm afraid Peter won't be joining us." Mae announced, as she led us back to the couch.

She sat on one end, leaving me the seat between her and Ezra. The others were scattered around the living room. Jack and Alice sat on the loveseat opposite the couch, and Bobby and Milo shared a chair off to Mae's left. I tried not to let it bother me that my brother was literally sprawled out on Milo's lap.

Jack huffed a little, obviously unhappy with the news. Ezra shot him a reprimanding look, and he sunk into his seat a little, pouting.

"Whatever." He murmured.

"So, Clara, what do you think of the house?" Mae asked, drawing my attention back to her.

"It's beautiful." I answered, honestly. "Did you decorate it yourself?"

It looked like a professional job, but I knew it had been her handiwork when she blushed and smiled. "Oh, well, yes. It's something I quite enjoy."

"We just got settled in." Ezra picked up where Mae had left off seamlessly. "This place has been quite a project until recently. I have to agree with you—it's fantastic."

They beamed at each other for a moment, and it was east to see that they were in love. I almost felt like I was intruding on a private moment, but at the same time, it was heartwarming to witness.

"Have you lived in Seattle before?" I said. "Or is this your first time?"

Mae turned her attention from Ezra to me, but her gaze was still so warm, so affectionate. "Well, Ezra and Peter have been everywhere twice, it seems. They've been in the Washington area before, but Seattle is a first for all of us. A fresh start."

"Oh. That's nice." I said. "It's a great place to live. I'm sure you'll love it."

"How long have you been living here, love?" Mae inquired.

"Around three years now."

Bobby spoke up again. "I always wondered, why did you pick Seattle?"

I shrugged a little. "There were a lot of reasons."

"Like what?" He pressed.

"Well, I've always wanted to get out of Colorado. I looked at a bunch of the places I got into, but Seattle just seemed like the best fit. The weather isn't so different from Denver, so I knew it wouldn't be hard to acclimate. The scholarship I got here was pretty substantial, so it made sense financially. And, I really liked their veterinary technology program. It's fully accredited, which isn't always the case."

"You're a veterinarian!?" Jack exclaimed, perking up. "That's so cool!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little at his childlike enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it is. Although, I'm not technically a veterinarian. I'm a veterinary technologist, which is basically an animal nurse instead of an animal doctor." I explained.

"Still cool." Jack said, grinning at me.

"Have you always had a passion for animals?" Ezra asked, softly.

He was leaning in towards me, so I could tell he was actually interested, and not just asking for the sake of making polite conversation.

"Well, not always. I've always loved them, but I don't think I really had a passion for them until I got a job at a pet supply store in high school. It was boring stocking the shelves, but when I was working with the animals, it didn't really feel like work. It was just so great being around them."

"That's good." Peter's voice rang out throughout the room, startling me. "You should be doing something you love."

"Peter! I'm so glad you decided to join us!" Mae cheered, leaping to her feet and greeting him with a hug.

My heart began to pound, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. Green eyes bored into mine, even as he talked with Mae lowly, apologizing for the way he had acted earlier. She brushed it off and insisted it was fine, inviting him to sit and talk with us.

He moved to take the only empty seat, to Ezra's right, and silently, I found myself marveling at how beautiful he was. They were all good-looking, that was just part of being a vampire. But, there was something else about Peter. I couldn't put it into words. He was just so... Captivating.

"So, do you ever work with, like, horses?" Milo asked, breaking through my thoughts.

I had to force myself to tear my eyes away from Peter to look at him.

"No, not really. I work at a pet clinic at the moment. It's mostly smaller domestic animals. Dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, that sort of thing." I answered, surprising myself by not tripping over my own words in the wake of Peter's influence.

As soon as I finished speaking, I wanted to look back over at Peter again, but I fought the urge when Jack opened his mouth to talk.

"Hey, do you think maybe you could take a look at Mattie?" He said.

Before I had a chance to ask who Mattie was, Alice protested.

"Jack, she's not here to work. Besides, Matilda was just at the vet. Derek said she was fine." She said.

"I know you think she's just a dog, but she isn't." Jack insisted. "Mattie's family to me. She deserves a second opinion—she hasn't been acting right."

Alice moved as if to say something else, but I beat her to the punch.

"I don't mind, really." I pushed myself up to stand. "Where is she?"

"Thank you!" Jack hopped up, and all but darted toward the stairs. "She's this way."

I moved to follow him. I heard footsteps behind me as I reached the staircase. I glanced back over my shoulder, expecting to see Alice, but instead I was assaulted by green eyes. I turned my head back, but the knowledge that Peter was right behind me was incredibly distracting

When we reached the landing of the stairs, I didn't notice, and I tripped. Before I even had the chance to gasp, Peter grabbed me, keeping me from hitting the the wooden steps face-first.

I was so dazed that I almost didn't notice the white-hot, electric feeling that that shot through me where Peter had grabbed my arm. It was so brief, and so odd, that I almost thought I had imagined it. It was gone now, and his hand was back at his side. He had even taken a step back from me.

"Thanks." I whispered, as I righted myself.

"Anytime." His voice was even, bit he looked visibly shaken. It made me wonder if the feeling hadn't been my imagination after all. Had he felt it, too?

We stood there awkwardly for a moment before I heard Jack calling my name, prompting me to make my way up the rest of the stairs. I walked into the open door of Jack's room, where he sat on the floor with a white Great Pyrenees.

Shaking off my encounter with Peter, I joined him, kneeling at Matilda's side. She sniffed my hand and wagged her tail a little as she licked at it, but remained otherwise stationary.

"So, what seems to be the problem with Mattie here?" I asked, watching as Jack scratched behind her ears. Her tail continued to wag happily at the action.

"Well... She got hurt a while back. there was a break-in, and she kind of got in the middle of it." He sighed, looking guilty, but I didn't press him for more information. "Anyways, she's mostly healed now, but she just doesn't seem like herself."

I frowned in thought. "How is she different?"

"She used to be so full of life." Peter said, from the doorway. "Always running around, playing. Now she lies up here most of the time. She hardly responds at all to anyone but Jack."

I tilted my head slightly as an idea came to me. "You said she's recovering from an injury, didn't you, Jack? Have you been giving her anything for the pain?"

"Of course." Jack answered, as if it were obvious.

"Can you get me the bottle?" I asked.

He nodded and rushed out to get it. He was back in no time, and with one glance at the label, I knew I had my answer.

"These are pretty powerful painkillers." I explained. "Which makes sense, because Matilda here is a fairly large breed. But, even with her size, this dosage is strong enough to make her sleepy. She's just tired. It's normal. Once you're able to wean her off of these, she'll be more active."

Jack breathed a big sigh of relief as I passed the bottle back to him.

"That's really good to hear." He said.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched him turn to Matilda. He lavished her with attention, scratching her behind the ears, petting her, telling what a good and pretty girl she was.

"It's no problem." I said, rising to leave the room.

Peter was still standing in the doorway, watching me, but he stepped aside to let me pass when he realized he was blocking the way.

"Thank you, for doing this." He whispered, as I passed. "Jack's been worried sick about her."

"I'm more than happy to help." I breathed.

I turned to head back downstairs, and Peter followed shortly after me. Jack was a few minutes behind us, and when he returned to his spot beside Alice, he looked as if a massive weight had just been lifted from his shoulders.

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**Signed in reviewers get a sneak peek at the next chapter! :)**


	6. AN: Hiatus

A/N: This is not an update (sorry), but a note concerning when the next update will be and why it will be delayed.

Dear readers,

I'm sorry to say that I'm putting all my stories on a short hiatus.

Why, you ask? Well, I'm a college student, and these are my last few weeks of class. Final exams are coming up and final projects are going to be due very soon. This means I'm going to be sacrificing my social life, as well as the time I usually put into stories here on fanfiction (sad face on both counts). So, for the next two weeks, you will probably not see an update on any of my stories.

I am going to try really, really hard to get an update up for each of them by June 18th, so look out for it then.

Thank you for being so understanding.

~Biv


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